A good example of a Sandra Brown romantic suspense novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrator was very good, although there were a few technical thiA good example of a Sandra Brown romantic suspense novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrator was very good, although there were a few technical things that I noticed. A sentence here or there was obviously edited in. You can tell by the slight change in the tone of the narrator.

My only quibble with the twisty-turny plot was the ultimate motive of the perpetrator. It wasn't powerful enough, imo.

I recommend the book to romantic suspense lovers, and the audio for those who enjoy listening....more

At just under three hours, Overload is perfect for a quick vintage Linda HowardReviewed for Audiogals.netStory CNarration B+Narrated by Lesa Lockford

At just under three hours, Overload is perfect for a quick vintage Linda Howard fix. But if you’re looking for anything with a plot, then pass this one by. There is little character development, and the plot is as follows: Tom and Elizabeth used to date. She broke it off because he was domineering and Elizabeth has past issues with controlling men – but she doesn’t tell him that. When they get stuck in the office building where they both work during a blackout (pre-cell phone days), the predictable happens.

Lesa Lockwood is a new-to-me narrator, who seems to have only a few books to her credit at this point. I like her voice, which is clear and crisp. She speaks distinctly and she reads at an even pace, not too slowly or quickly. The inflection and emotions in the characters voices are generally well done, although she understandably handles the females a little better than the male.

Given that I think Lesa had very little real material to work with, I was very pleased with her overall performance. I do have one fairly minor criticism. While she did change up her performance, adding emotion into the conversations, I never quite shook the feeling I was listening to a good reader “read”, instead of losing myself in the story. Part of that is the dubious quality of the story, I know, but part of it wasn’t. However, this is a quibble and I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to another book with Lesa as narrator.

Overload is old-school Linda Howard, with overbearing macho men and semi-helpless females. I’m happy Howard switched it up in her novels and gave many of her heroines some backbone. As for Overload, all I came away with was the feeling of… “Really?” Unless you get this very inexpensively, I’d try to find this in print if you’re interested in reading it. It’s not worth spending $24.95 or 1 credit at Audible, in my opinion....more

There is so little I can say about the book that won't give spoilers. The plot isn't exactly plausible, but it's a very fun ride nonetheless. If you eThere is so little I can say about the book that won't give spoilers. The plot isn't exactly plausible, but it's a very fun ride nonetheless. If you enjoy Sandra Brown, you will enjoy this. It's not as complex as some of her novels, such as the incomparable "Envy," but it's entertaining and keeps you guessing....more

Very cute, well written and funny! But I'm simply not interested in the life of a college student. I would enjoy the writing while I was reading, butVery cute, well written and funny! But I'm simply not interested in the life of a college student. I would enjoy the writing while I was reading, but found I just wasn't compelled to pick it up again. In fact, I was avoiding it. I jhave such limited reading time at the moment that I decided to move on. But if new adult is a genre you're interested in, or if you're in the mood for a very well-written, funny story of an introverted college student, this might be the thing!...more

In Midnight Baby, we jump back into Maggie’s life just about six months after the close of Telling Lies, the first in the Maggie MacGowen Mystery series. The book opens with Maggie, a well-known documentary filmmaker, and her cameraman attempting to interview a young prostitute going by the name of Pisces. Pisces is shadowed by an even younger boy called Sly, and after noticing that the two are being watched by someone in a red Corvette, Maggie gets the pair to reluctantly accept a meal and a bed at a local shelter run by nuns. Less than 48 hours later, Pisces is dead and Sly is the only witness to the murder.

Maggie feels a connection to the “lost girl” and she possibly has valuable evidence in the film she shot of Pisces. This reconnects Maggie with Detective Mike Flint. She started a relationship with Mike while investigating Maggie’s sister’s shooting (Telling Lies). We learn that they haven’t seen each other in six months, and, as they piece together the convoluted puzzle of this murder, Mike and Maggie also try to piece together the puzzle that is their relationship. The relationship story arc is still second to the mystery, but takes a larger role in this novel than the first. Hornsby weaves the romance and the mystery through the book with a deft hand, never obscuring one with the other. Instead, she uses the emotional forces originating from the tragic murder to interact with and subtly influence the emotions emanating from the revived relationship—and vice versa. The author seems to know emotions can’t be neatly separated into boxes or categories.

Donna Postel returns to narrate this second book of the series. Her narration is very like the first time—not overly dramatic or emotional in her delivery, but very professional and easy to listen to. It’s taken me a few minutes to become accustomed to her voice both times I’ve listened to her narrations. On first exposure, I feel like it’s a little flat – lacking animation. But that feeling passes quickly as I get pulled into the story. Postel’s differentiation of characters is often subtle, and when there are stretches of conversations with no dialog markers, the listener may get confused about who is talking. Since that only happens a few times in the book, it isn’t much of a problem.

As with Telling Lies, there are no cell phones in this story, and computers don’t play a role in solving the crime. This isn’t a problem for me. In fact, I enjoy police procedurals set before the current technological revolution because the brainwork of the investigators takes center stage. Think of this as a “period piece” set in the not-so-distant past, and you’ll be fine.

The mystery here is well worth the time. As Mike and Maggie unravel the mystery, each discovery leads to another question and the answers are often unexpected. The book is populated with intensely real people, shown with strengths, weaknesses, and fears we can all understand. I’m sold on the Maggie MacGowen Mysteries and can’t wait to listen to number three....more

A good, satisfying but ultimately forgettable novel by Krentz. It was just what I needed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you want light, fun, no-s3.5*

A good, satisfying but ultimately forgettable novel by Krentz. It was just what I needed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you want light, fun, no-stress reading, then this is a good one. Overall the character development wasn't great, but I did like the main characters. The suspense was decent and it kept my interest.

This book was difficult to rate. Satisfaction has more explicit sex than any other Sarah Mayberry books I've read, although I've only read one of3.5*

This book was difficult to rate. Satisfaction has more explicit sex than any other Sarah Mayberry books I've read, although I've only read one of her Blaze titles. While this would be a great book to spice up a cozy weekend alone with hubby, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting for a first-cup-of-coffee read or a book to read during breaks at work.

As always, Mayberry writes great characters and easy, believable dialog. In this book Maggie's friends were very one-dimensional, but there is, after all, limited space in Harlequin novels for secondary character development.

Overall a good read, but perhaps not quite what I was expecting at the moment....more

Best one yet! I've enjoyed them all and this was a great addition to the mix. I love how Luke was written. I love how he originally just was inter4.5*

Best one yet! I've enjoyed them all and this was a great addition to the mix. I love how Luke was written. I love how he originally just was interested in a nice romantic interlude, but that it got more serious. That seemed real--how a guy who'd been deployed sees a pretty, smart woman and thinks "I'd like to get to know her and have fun." He wasn't angsty or pushy--just red-blooded male. Then the relationship develops and feels natural instead of the "irresistible from the first moment I met you" kind of thing.

There's nothing really wrong with this book. The writing is serviceable and the characters are likeable if totally predictable. BUt that is the probleThere's nothing really wrong with this book. The writing is serviceable and the characters are likeable if totally predictable. BUt that is the problem for me. I've read this basic plot many, many times, and there wasn't enough here to make it stand out as special or different....more

This is a little more angsty than Mayberry's usual fare, but I still enjoyed it. Leah has been the perfect daughter all her life bowing to the pre3.5*

This is a little more angsty than Mayberry's usual fare, but I still enjoyed it. Leah has been the perfect daughter all her life bowing to the pressure of a very manipulative mother by entering into a surgical residency. At the beginning of the novella Leah has decided to quit that residency to study immunology. Her compliant personality has trouble dealing with the resultant anger from her parents, and she takes solace in a friendship with a handsome musician who moves in next door.

Will has as secret he doesn't want to share with Leah, even though he is slowly falling for her. The story is about how they deal with all the issues and disappointments and find love. Being a novella it only skims the surface of some of the issues, but it's still a lovely story....more

The plot is ridiculous and makes no sense. There also seemed like a lot of unresolved backstory, but I guess we get that in book 3. I don't get th2.5*

The plot is ridiculous and makes no sense. There also seemed like a lot of unresolved backstory, but I guess we get that in book 3. I don't get the "This is my sister so don't get near her" thing, either. The romance is okay and I liked the characters, but this book felt unfocused for the most part....more

The concept is not very believable, but it's interesting and different, and the writer pulls it off quite well. I had to suspend disbelief to think anThe concept is not very believable, but it's interesting and different, and the writer pulls it off quite well. I had to suspend disbelief to think anyone would place such an ad, or that anyone would answer it, but once I simply accepted that, the story became quite compelling.

One reason the story works is that it gives you a odd sense of time and place, actually feeling a little like a fairy tale. Part of the reason for that is it's written in first person present tense. Now, I admit FPP is one of my least favorite styles, but here it works. In fact, it not just works, it helps set the whole slightly surreal feel to the book. By keeping the reading "in the moment" the author succeeds in keeping you just a little off balance. You're right there with the narrator, but you really aren't, and I felt that disconnect. That off-balance feeling is the reason I don't like first person singular for humorous contemporary romances. For me, the humor rarely comes off right because the tone of the book feels "wrong." However, in some books it's a perfect fit. I remember feeling this way when I read Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight.

One criticism I have is the way the novella ended. It stops abruptly and gives the patient reader no real closure. That feeling is perhaps worsened by the fact that the book ended at the 85% mark on my Kindle, so I was expecting a lot more.

This is a wonderfully readable "small town" contemporary romance. I'm not a huge fan of small town books, but I enjoyed this close knit community3.5*

This is a wonderfully readable "small town" contemporary romance. I'm not a huge fan of small town books, but I enjoyed this close knit community on a smallish island in the Outer Banks of NC. The writing is smooth, although the POV changes a little abruptly at times. There is always a page break to keep the reader clued in, however.

The story is perhaps predictable to some degree, but the characters were still well done. Some time is spent on secondary characters that are going to show up in later books, but they were woven into this storyline very well, and about the right amount of time was spent on them. One subplot of this book involving a young girl named Taylor isn't resolved here and will obviously be picked up in later books. But it doesn't feel like a cliff hanger so much as a snapshot of real life, were not all issues and and stories end on the same day.

I did think the ending somewhat abrupt, but we'll get to see Alison and Matt again in future books as well, so we're not leaving them forever.

Good book that I read quickly and enjoy from start to finish. I can't wait to read Carolina Girl....more